Two new federal reports on the 2012 Chevron refinery explosion and fire reveal a broken regulatory system and a company insufficiently sensitive to the safety of its workers and the community.

The conclusion is clear: Industry cannot be trusted to monitor itself, and government inspectors need more resources and legal authority to protect people and the environment.

Vapor released from a ruptured pipe fueled the inferno at the Richmond facility that nearly killed 19 workers, spewed tons of pollutant-laced black smoke into the air for hours, sent 15,000 seeking medical attention and hospitalized about 20.

It could have been much worse, and Americans are lucky there havenít been more incidents like it. In 2012 alone, according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Boardís latest report, there were 125 significant petroleum refinery incidents nationwide.

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Recent incidents across the nation show the potential toll.

In 2005, an overfill of a distillation column at the BP Texas City Refinery resulted in an explosion and fire that led to 15 deaths, 180 injuries, a shelter-in-place order for 43,000 people and damage to homes three-quarters of a mile away.

In 2009, an explosion at Silver Eagle Refinery damaged more than 100 Woods Cross, Utah, homes. In 2010, catastrophic failure of a heat exchanger killed seven workers at the Tesoro refinery in Anacortes, Wash.

Refineries are inherently dangerous, but our economy would grind to a halt without fuels they produce. The federal government has an obligation to minimize risk and damage far better than it has recently.

In California, regulators lack the expertise to sufficiently oversee refineries. The safety board recommends setting more rigorous rules flexible enough to to adapt to changing technology, and hiring more regulators.

Similarly, the board found Contra Costaís local Industrial Safety Ordinance lacks teeth. A tougher version is in the works, but local legislation isnít the answer to this national challenge. The Byzantine state and federal regulatory framework must be overhauled, not just for the Bay Area but for the nation.